Instruments and apparatus systems that are used for viewing, recording, and analyzing the results of biological and chemical tests and assays often require instrumentation that can provide specific magnification in order to sufficiently image the target, but require a limited size in order to be useful and useable in a laboratory. For such instrumentation, samples and targets of relatively large sizes create challenges in fitting a sample within the field of view of the instrument, while also keeping the instrument of reasonable and economical size. Moreover, in such instrumentation, the optical path of the imaging apparatus, and the lens speed of the lenses used in the instrumentation, can lead to apparatus that are complex and inefficiently sized. Reduction of the size of the instrumentation by use of smaller zoom lenses, however, can lead to a loss of sufficient sensitivity or field of view so as to adequately image the sample.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide imaging instrumentation that retains desired magnification, field of view, and focusing and imaging capabilities while remaining relatively compact and efficient for use in chemical and biological laboratories.